Our next subject under consideration is,

Death and Resurrection

Seventh Day Adventist state:

“The wages of sin is death. But God, who alone is immortal, will grant eternal life to His redeemed. Until that day death is an unconscious state for all people. When Christ, who is our life, appears, the resurrected righteous and the living righteous will be glorified and caught up to meet their Lord. The second resurrection, the resurrection of the unrighteous, will take place a thousand years later.”

Before we get into the specifics of this statement, which they have conveniently broken down for us we would first like to mention what we are in agreement on.

The first statement is a scriptural fact, “The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23) it is NOT eternal life in torment as many surmise, it is not life in any since of the word.

“The soul that sins it shall die.” Ezek 18:20

“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36

“He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:12

We likewise agree with the statement concerning the unconscious state of the dead, this is confirmed by numerous texts, viz.,

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” Eccl 9:10

“… the dead know nothing.” Eccl 9:5, They are totally unaware of anything, “His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; They are brought low, and he does not perceive it.” (Job 14:21)

Death is a place of darkness (Job 10:21); of silence (Psa. 115:17) of no remembrance (Psa. 6:5); a land of forgetfulness (Psa. 88:11); “In that very day (the day when a man dies) his thoughts perish.” (Psa. 146:4) It is a condition of total unconsciousness, of nothingness.

Thus, neither Dorcas, nor Lazarus, nor the widow of Nain, nor Jairus’ daughter had any wonderful experiences or mysterious visions to relate after having been awaken from death.

The dead are dead, period, although at present it is termed as a “sleep” (1 Thess 4:14), this only because the Lord has promised an awakening, a resurrection.

However, in contrast, Second Death is perpetual, everlasting and none who enter there will ever be awaken.

Let us now turn to the specifics of their opening statement which they break down into four parts, beginning first with,

The First Resurrection

They state:

“When Jesus returns at the end of time, all who have died believing in Christ will have a bodily resurrection and go to Heaven with Him. This is the first resurrection.

This is the Good News! Believers have the hope of eternal life because they place their trust in the Lord Jesus.

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17, ESV).

The first resurrection happens when Christ returns. This resurrection is for those who were faithful to Christ and died. These resurrected people will join all the faithful Christians who are still living. Together they will go to Heaven.”

In reply,

There are quite a few issues here which need to be addressed beginning first with the false assumption that ALL believers will be going to heaven, the scriptures do not support this idea. The first resurrection as was pointed out by our Adventists friends above is only for “FAITHFUL” Christians, the fully consecrated saints (Psa 50:5; Rom 12:1) those who make their calling and election sure, those who are proven faithful unto death, who overcome, to these and these alone are the promises of a heavenly reward given. (2 Pet 1:10; Rev 2:10; 3:21)

Many seem to forget that the professing church (consisting of all believers, i.e., all who profess faith in Christ) consist of both wheat and tares. The wheat are the true Christians, the true followers of Christ, begotten of the Spirit and of truth, the tares on the other hand are false or nominal Christians, Christians in name only, begotten of error, most of whom are begotten by excitement, of fear of hell, or of hopes of worldly advantage, of pride, or of social and financial ambition, “possessing a form of godliness (an outward show of piety, morality), but denying the power thereof” (2 Tim 3:5). With their lips they draw close to the Lord (that is on days of worship in praises and songs), but their hearts are far removed (concerned more with worldly, affairs, ambitions, and etc.) Isa 29:13.

The problem with the tares is that they honestly believe that they are THE Church. The cause of this reverts all the way back to the great falling away and the lowering of the standards of what is required of a true Christian, a true follower of Christ. The bar has been set so low now that anyone by a mere profession of faith is assured of spirit begetal and a heavenly reward. Just about every professing Christians today believes whole heartily that they will one day sit with the Lord in his kingdom as an immortal being. Pour souls have been deluded by the blind guides.

As it is written:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord (Who are professing to be his disciples, believers),’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven (the heavenly phase of the kingdom), but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Such will not be recognized by the Lord as amongst his Elect, the consecrated saints of God).” Matt 7:21-23

It should be rightfully understood by all that the Lord’s remarks here were specifically directed at “false brethren” i.e., the tare class, nominal Christians, it is these for whom he spoke who would be found “in that day” (the millennial day) saying, “‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?”.

The majority of these will take their share with the rest of mankind in the earthly phase of the kingdom.

We will continue with our look at what was stated in regards to the first resurrection in our next post.